Christ
is Risen! Alleluia!
In
the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Today, we celebrate a curious occurrence in the Church's calendar.
Because of the intersection of the solar calendar with the date of
Easter, we celebrate the Annunciation of our Lord to the Blessed
Virgin Mary right alongside the resurrection of our Lord and His
appearance to His disciples. While it may seem strange, it is also
peculiarly fitting that we consider the beginning and the end of our
Lord's work among us.
How does the story begin? In Luke,
chapter one, the angel Gabriel appears suddenly to the Virgin Mary
and speaks to her, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is
with you!” The archangel
speaks to her and proclaims to this blushing young maiden that she is
with child and will bear the Son of God, the savior of the nations.
“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most
High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father
David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His
kingdom there will be no end.”
